Acceptance
by patronus43
Summary: Everyone has that one crush, right? That one person that you feel like you'll always have a slight interest in, even after they've been out of your life for years. For Hermione, it's Fred. But what if Fred truly leaves her? Without ever a hope of hearing his voice again? Then...how do you deal?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! Guess who's back? So this was intended to be a one-shot that I started at 2 in the morning last night. But, as often happens when I'm writing at 2 in the morning, I realized "Oh, wait, this could actually be interesting if I really do things with the plot!" So. Here we go.**

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Everyone has that one crush, right? That one person that you feel like you'll always have a slight interest in, even after they've been out of your life for years. Even after you've given up on them, found someone else to fill the void, you'll still think about them every once in a while. You'll be sitting, having your morning coffee, and all of a sudden, you'll wonder how they are now. What they're like. What they're doing with their life. What they'd be doing if they were with you.

Now, if you're lucky, you'll never see this person again after that dreaded day when you give up on them. It will be a nice clean break, they will walk out of your life, only to be seen in the occasional memory or picture, a pleasant reminiscing experience. You'll be able to truly move on with your life. You'll find someone else, someone who not only fills the void, but takes over your thoughts so completely, you have no reason to dwell on the other person.

I have had that crush. I have had that ill-fated day when, in my school girl naivete and foolishness, I admitted to this boy that I had a crush on him. He took it well enough, ruffling my hair and telling me "maybe when you're older." I have had the several years of continuous pining, until he was gone. He left. Dropped out. And I took that as my cue to leave well enough alone, move on, take control of my life again. I turned my attention to other prospects. I accepted that I would never be old enough, never be _enough_ for him, and gave up. I shed my school girl innocence and grew up for myself, not for him.

Then I saw him again. I avoided it unless was absolutely necessary, but unfortunately, when you're staying with his family for the summer, it becomes difficult to avoid. And the first time that you see them, there is that pit fall in your stomach; that awful, sinking feeling where you think to yourself, "How could I have given up on _that_? He's perfect, wonderful in every sense of the word." And then you have to excuse yourself from the dinner table and step outside to take a few deep breaths and remind yourself why you gave up.

But then the summer ended, and I was back to school, and he was back to work, and there were things bigger than my school girl crush that I was most certainly over. Things that I needed to understand so that Harry would understand them, things that I had to be three steps ahead of so that everything could seem normal. And, truly, he was out of my thoughts. I didn't need to worry about what would happen if I heard someone mention his name, or if someone bizarrely compared Ron or Ginny to him. It became less painful when I saw him at Christmas, it was normal to have him throw an awkward one-armed hug around me when he'd had too much to drink. And by the time summer rolled around, the gravity of the situation that surrounded me had consumed my life so much that not even seeing him all dressed up for the wedding could have made my heart beat any faster.

The worst part about this type of crush, however, especially when it is someone that you can't completely avoid seeing, is that no matter how much you feel you've gotten over them, as I've said before, you don't _really_ ever do. They're always in that little spot of your subconscious. You will always care about them, there is nothing that you can do to avoid that. So when I walked back into the Great Hall with Harry and Ron and saw the Weasley's standing around his seemingly lifeless body, it was as if the floor had collapsed from underneath me and I would never have any hope of moving from that spot. The horror movie that had become my life ended. Because if Fred Weasley could never utter another word to me, there was no point in my living any longer.

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**A/N: Now, I'm going to be honest here...I haven't decided if I want this to be a "Yay, Fred actually lives!" story or not. So if you feel particularly strong one way or the other (I think it would be interesting to write from Hermione's point of view piecing her life back together, but I do find it difficult to write from Hermione's point of view in the first place), leave me a message or a review and I'll tally things up.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey there everyone! Sorry it took me so long to post this, I needed to figure out further where I really wanted the story to go. Hopefully updates will be coming faster now!**

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Ron ran over to join his weeping family immediately. I hung back with Harry. I knew that he hung back out of shock, and possibly respect for the family that was so close to, yet was not, his own. But I stayed because I couldn't know the truth. I couldn't know if he was laying in some unconscious, paralytic state, if he was hit by something that would take away everything he knew. I couldn't know what had hit him, what was causing him to lay there, unmoving, causing his family such heart ache. I couldn't know whether he was yet dead or not.

I tried not to analyze the situation too much. Everyone around him was clearly in agony, but no one was speaking. They were all just clinging to each other, holding on for dear life as this moment of panic washed over them. Molly wrapped her arms around Ron, pulling him in as if he was the last physical being that tied her to this life. I couldn't watch anymore. He couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. Fred Weasley couldn't die.

Finally, after the agonizing moments of silence, finally, there was noise. But it was not his wonderful, infectious laugh. It was not his beautiful voice, nor the guttural sound he made from his throat whenever he woke up, or had been knocked off his broom particularly hard. It was the soul-crushing, please-kill-me-now-so-that-this-person-won't-be-in-agony cry of a voice so similar to his that if you didn't know what to listen for you would think that he had, indeed, just woken up in extreme pain. But it wasn't his voice, and George had just collapsed on top of the body, and that cry kept going, and it was that moment that made it real. Fred Weasley was dead.

I spun on the spot and ran out of the Great Hall, tears streaming down my face, my body convulsing with the intensity of the emotions. I had no idea where I was running, nor who would find me when I reached that place. All I knew was that I had to be out of that room, that awful room with all the dead, that awful room of mourners and healers for people who couldn't be healed. I heard, vaguely, someone yelling my name as I ran, but the voice was too familiar for me to stop. So I kept running, and the voice kept yelling, until I couldn't stand it anymore. Skidding to a stop, I spun around, wand drawn, but there was no one there. And yet the voice kept yelling, and I kept crying, and then I realized where I was. And suddenly the tears were coming harder, faster, and I was screaming for my subconscious to stop, but it wouldn't, and I was on the floor, curled in a paralyzing position of my own grief, and the memory invaded.

_"Hermione! Hermione, please wait. HERMIONE!" I finally stopped once his yelling reached the point of frustrated shouting. Turning to face him, I noticed once again just how handsome he was. Ugh, that was the worst part of this. I was supposed to be falling for his _brother_, not him! I was supposed to be getting over him. And of course, who would be the one that walks in after I "pour my heart out" to Ron and he laughs in my face?_

_ "Fred. I just want to be alone right now." He stayed where he was, about three paces in front of me. It was taking every fiber of my being not to close that distance. To stay put. Ron was supposed to take this pain away. Ron was supposed to fix _everything._ But he didn't. He only messed everything up even more. _

_ "If I'm being honest, I don't really care what you want. You're dangerous enough with a wand in your hand when you aren't emotionally compromised, I fear the safety of the poor first year you come across who asks you a stupid question." He stood in that awful way that he always does, where he looks so laid back, like he truly doesn't have a care in the world. He was picking at the tip of his wand, but when he lifted his head he had that awful, "I know exactly what you're going through," self-confident look on his face that was so attractive but so infuriating at the same time._

_ "You fear the safety of the first years? Really. Well then, how about I just take all of this anger out on you, then, hm? Would that make you happy?" I didn't even give him time to respond, but he was expecting it; his laid-back posture immediately sharpened, perfectly countering and avoiding as I threw hexes his way. "You Weasley boys are all the same! All self-confident jerks who think that getting a girl is as easy as smashing a Bludger at Malfoy's head! And Ron, ugh, Ron is the worst. Because you know what? He's not even that good at Quidditch! He's not that good at school, he isn't as clever as you or George, but I never say that, because he is my friend, and I wouldn't say that to a friend, but ugh! All of you need to learn that girls have feelings, and that we're not these delicate flowers who live for a boy's approval! But that it does take a lot of courage to tell a boy how we feel. It takes a bloody lot of courage to do that, and you all throw it away like there are girls throwing themselves at you every five minutes. Well, that might be true for you, but it's not for him, and he needs to get over himself!" At this last exclamation, I paused, and Fred relaxed, exactly as I'd hoped he would. His second of trust in my being finished was exactly what I needed. "Petrificus totalus!" His eyes showed his split second of shock before the spell connected, knocking him backwards. "And that will teach you to come after me when I tell you I want to be left alone." I crouched down right next to him, putting my lips right next to his ear. "And if you tell anyone what you witnessed in the common room, I have much worse hexes up my sleeve." I stood, brushing off my knees and began to walk off, but then turned around just before the corner. "Oh, by the way, hope you're comfortable. My body binds normally take about 20 minutes to wear off." And with that, I sauntered off, smiling to myself. In a way, Fred coming after me was exactly what I'd needed. But there was so much more that I should have said. Because in no way, shape, or form, was Ron the worst Weasley boy. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is rather short, but it ended in a nice spot here, so it's ending here. I'm thinking that this might be the last bit of the real battle to include- I like Fred's death in the movie more than in the books for Hermione's perspective, so I wanted to write it from that perspective, but I don't actually like how the battle goes from there. So there will probably be a bit of "jumping over the rest of the actual plot parts true to the movie/book" moment at the beginning of the next chapter. Also-since I'd had some questions about this, updates on this story will more than likely be coming once a week. While I'd love to update more often than that, there's this thing called college that I'm trying to get through as well, and unfortunately, that has to be my priority. Anyway, here's the third chapter! Please keep the reviews and such coming, they make my day :) -Shane**

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I lay in that position for another fifteen minutes or so. Everything was pain, and it took me much longer than it should have to clear my head. But then I remembered where I was, what was at stake here, _what Fred had died for_. How much of the hour had been used up? The castle was still fairly quiet, so I knew that battle was still ceased. But where was Harry? How could I have left the most important part of the battle alone, even for a second? I scrambled up, grabbing my dropped wand (how could I have been so stupid as to drop my wand in a war zone?!), and bolted back for the Great Hall. But I knew he wouldn't be there. As soon as George had started uttering that awful cry, I know that Harry would have bolted as well. He didn't handle other people's pain well. He wouldn't have gone to the common room, there was no point, and there were too many memories there for me to even think about searching it. Then the thought occurred to me. If the hour was almost up, and if Fred had died, Harry might have thought the only way to end it was to give himself up.

This thought was enough to jolt me into action. I sprinted for the doors of the castle, gaining my bearings only as I turned wrong corners, screaming Harry's name even though I knew it could mean his demise. I turned the corner that would lead me to the main staircase and smacked into someone, knocking us both down.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?! We can hear you screaming for him all the way down in the hall, you'll give him up!" Ron's cheeks were tear stained, and his speech was somewhat impeded with sobs.

"I'm trying to find him, you idiot! He's disappeared, and in who knows how long, battle will start again, _unless he gives himself up to Voldemort_. So I don't care if I wake the entire dead Death Eater community, I'm going to bloody well find him before he does something he can't un-do!" This shocked Ron enough to get him to stop glaring at me.

"You don't think...he wouldn't actually..."

"Yes, he would, Ron. I don't know who else we've lost, but any death is going to come as a personal loss to him, because he is, in a way, responsible for it. If he knows he can stop it, he's going to, don't you think?"

"Yeah...especially if he saw Lupin and Tonks."

"What?! Saw Lupin and Tonks where?" No, no no no, not them too, they'd just been parents! But Ron's look of grief was enough to confirm it, and the tears started again. And in that moment I didn't care where Harry was, I needed someone to hold off the shaking and the sense of paralysis, so I threw myself into Ron's arms and sobbed until I heard his voice.

"Guys?" His voice sounded so far away, but so close.

"Harry! Thank god you didn't go..." Ron's voice trailed off, and I picked my head up out of his chest. Harry stood, shoulders hunched, a look of expectation on his face. So I was right. He was going to do it. In a way, he had to. There was no other choice. Voldemort wouldn't come right into battle...he'd threaten it, but he wouldn't actually do it. So there was really no way of ending it without Harry going to him.

"Please...please...I'll go with you." I knew I couldn't talk him out of doing it. "You can't be alone for this...just please let me go with you."

"No, I can't put you in more danger than you're in here. I think I need to do this by myself. Just...take care of each other. You're stronger together. You'll be alright. I..." His voice trailed off and I couldn't stand it anymore. I broke out of Ron's arms and threw myself at Harry, who wrapped me in his arms sadly. "Kill the snake, Hermione. Just make sure someone kills the bloody snake. If the snake isn't gone, there's no point in me walking to that forest." He looked over my shoulder at Ron, nodded his head, and forced himself out of my grip. I couldn't hold myself up.

From my spot on the floor, I watched my best friend walk out the doors of the castle. It hadn't even taken an hour, but the battle had officially ripped everything out of my life. And Voldemort would pay. You want the snake killed, Harry? I won't stop there. I'll personally make sure that every last Death Eater will sleep on a pillow of their own blood and dismantled body parts tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N to the wise: I don't advise reading this when in a state of sadness. I'm bawling writing this. Also, I'm not super happy with this chapter, but I have come to the conclusion that I will never be 100% happy with this, so I'm posting it as is. And so, ladies and gents, I give you, Fred's funeral**

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Three months had passed since that bloody night of battle. Three months of tears, pain, and grief. Three months of still expecting to hear awful news, of wishing I had a clock like Mrs. Weasley's, so that I would know where all my loved ones were at any given time. Most importantly, three months of paperwork and waiting.

No dead bodies were allowed to be removed from the Great Hall until Kingsley had done a thorough check. Apparently, there had been a new spell that the Death Eaters had been using that somehow killed the person temporarily. I'll admit, I'm a very bright witch, but I didn't completely follow the logic. In short, the heart stopped for a total of one minute. After that one minute, though, the heart started again, but very, very faintly; just enough to sustain life, but not enough that it could really be detected. That beat would stay for a total of a month and half. By that point, the Death Eaters figured, the person would be buried. After a month and a half, the beat would return to normal, but the person would be buried alive, doomed to death anyway. Very dark magic. But easily traced. Kingsley went over every body in the Great Hall, then beyond in the castle, ensuring this hadn't occurred. Unfortunately, it hadn't with Fred.

Because of the death toll, however, funerals were plentiful. That's where the paperwork came in. You had to register the death of your loved one, then they would set a date for you. The most important individuals were given the first dates, slowly working down in the list. Fred was fairly high up on the list, with everything considering. The little Creevey boy's funeral wasn't for another three months after Fred's. The family had had no choice but to cremate him, as there was no way, magical or not, to keep his body from degrading for that long.

In the three months of waiting, I'd attended many funerals. Snape's came very early on in the order, as did Lupin and Tonks'. Still, nothing really prepared me for Fred's. Mrs. Weasley had asked if I would speak. I was shocked. Surely there was someone else who was closer to him, had meant more to him? But, no, Mrs. Weasley insisted. She'd said she could tell we'd had a very special relationship, that she knew it was what he would have wanted. And then she looked at me with those very sad eyes and I had had no choice but to agree.

Three months. Three months of drafts, of re-writing, of bawling my eyes out and falling asleep on drafts that didn't sound right. And then it worked. It took me until four in the morning the night before the funeral, but it worked.

And so the day finally arrived. I woke at nine, magicking myself some coffee to help with the "I've looked like I'm on the edge of a breakdown for days, and I've only gotten five hours of sleep" look. A simple black dress, nipped slightly at the waist, with short, fluttery sleeves. He'd said I looked nice in it, that one New Years where everyone was supposed to get dressed up. Sensible black shoes, with just the slightest heel. I'd worn these around him a lot, so that I didn't seem as short. I couldn't bring myself to bother with Sleek-Easy today, so I just threw it in a ponytail. It looked like a lion's mane, but he'd always joked he liked it like that. House pride and all that. It was going to be a long day if every little thing would remind me of him.

Harry arrived at my house at exactly ten to eleven. He wore simple black wizard's robes, with the burgundy tie I knew was sold for Gryffindors at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He looked like he'd gotten even less sleep than I had. We didn't speak, he just offered his arm. And we apparated.

The Burrow, usually a sight of chaos and cheer, was instead a sight of order and grief. Redheads were spotted all over the back lawn- Weasley relatives I'd never bothered to remember the names of- and everywhere, there were remnants of Gryffindor pride items sold at WWW. Harry held my hand, pulling me through the throng of people to our spots in the second row. I'd been to lots of funerals in the past three months, but I hadn't seen one so packed since Dumbledore's. There must have been over 100 chairs, and yet, still, there were people standing in the back. Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were standing up by the front, next to the open coffin. Before we sat, Harry glanced at me, then the coffin. I shook my head. I couldn't do it. I wanted to remember his beautiful face in it's natural state, not the preserved state of the dead. And so we sat. Mrs. Weasley nodded to me, tears already pouring so heavily down her cheeks they obscured some of her facial features. Slowly, the front row started filling. Bill and Fleur, with tiny Victoire, bundled in a black scarf. Charlie, whose handsome features were skewed and stretched as he fought tears. Percy, who's features showed a mix of grief and responsibility that killed him. Ginny, who chanced a glance at Harry for comfort. She picked the wrong person. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat. There were two seats left.

Ron came last, choosing to sit next to Harry instead of the spot next to his mum. Harry chose the same "using body language instead of talking" thing he'd done with me. Still one Weasley missing. The small wizard who officiated went to the front, but Mrs. Weasley wouldn't let him start.

Finally, the last Weasley came out. The tears that poured down his face did nothing to obscure the mask of pain. He was trying so hard to be strong. So hard not to completely collapse in pain. It seemed to take him ages to reach the front. And when he sat, I wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get up again.

The officiant closed the coffin and began his speech. This one was short, as Fred's accomplishments would be shared instead by the multiple speakers. The order was interesting. Bill first, who shared a few things from Fleur as well. Then Charlie. Mr. Weasley. Percy, who could barely finish his speech. Lee Jordan. Angelina, Alicia, and Katie, who each shared a few memories. Oliver. Mrs. Weasley. Ron, who's speech was very short and poignant. Ginny. Harry, who's speech, like Ron's was short. In reality, it was probably longer, but if this was anything like Lupin's funeral, he hadn't been able to get through the whole thing. Then me. The last before George.

"I can honestly say that my life would have never been any bit as near as exciting if not for the magical stylings of one Fred Weasley. His goal in life was to see a smile on everyone's face, no matter how much pain they were in. He wanted to save the world through a joke. And he damn near did it, too.

The first time I met Fred, he mistook me for one of the more gullible first years, and did his best to convince me that there really was a lion in the Gryffindor common room. When I told him I knew he was lying, he put on the smirk we've all become all too familiar with, picked up a lock from my hair, and said, 'Well, there will be one once you get in there.'

If I'm being honest, I was confused as to why Mrs. Weasley asked me to speak today. I was always Ron's friend, which resulted in me, many times, being the younger sibling's friend that got on Fred's nerves. I was good at that. My every instinct always screamed 'obey the rules,' whereas Fred's said 'Push the rules until they threaten to break.' It resulted in some tension during my time as Prefect. But he rubbed off on me. Slowly, I became more and more willing to break rules. To test the waters and really have some fun. Because that's what Fred was best at- fun. Breaking down people's boundaries and opening them up to the beauty of life. Which is why, I believe, this is so painful." The sobs threatened to start. My body was shaking. I lay my head down on the podium, fighting the pain with every ounce of strength I had. I had to go on. I couldn't quit now. I heard movement behind me, and felt an arm over my shoulder. Deep breaths. _Keep going, Hermione_. It took all the strength I had to lift my head. And there was George. He hadn't moved during the entire ceremony, but he'd come here to help me. Or maybe to get me away. Maybe my memorial to Fred wasn't doing him justice and George wanted to get to his piece. I started to move away, but George shook his head. One more deep breath. Keep going.

"This is so painful because Fred consistently had renewed leases on life, and shared them always. Dumbledore once told us that darkness could be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembered to turn on the light. Fred never turned the light off. Even when times were most grim, when nothing seemed right or beautiful, Fred would find it. It seems fitting to me that the last time I saw him before the battle was at the wedding. Because that was the most joyous time in all that darkness. And I'll never forget the last thing that Fred said to me. I'd never gotten to speak to him during the battle, but I'm glad for that fact. It would have tarnished my memory of him, all that darkness around his glowing light. The last time we spoke was at the wedding. Just before everything went to shambles. And he told me keep pushing my boundaries until they broke. I'd be much more fun that way." I stepped back from the podium, allowing the tears to flow, but holding the sobbing in. I moved to leave, but George held me in place, pleading with his eyes for me to stay. He stepped to the podium, I held his hand, and allowed the emotion he didn't want to feel to flow through me instead.


	5. Chapter 5

The summer ended and the funerals slowed down and so began the re-growth process. Most people call it the healing process, but I don't think you ever heal from something like this. So it was the re-growing process. The re-building process, in the case of Hogwarts. Harry and Ron had both chosen to take Kingsley up on his offer of taking positions in the Auror office immediately, without having to finish their seventh year. While the same offer was extended to me, I just couldn't accept it. Though I knew I might regret the decision the first time I stood in a place that held any meaning, I didn't feel as though my time at school was done.

Whether we were all returning or not, there was still the minor issue that half the castle was destroyed. McGongall had recruited an "exceptional group of students who show a beautiful level of loyalty to the school" to come and assist in the massive task of building the castle back to it's previous level of excellence. The start of fall term was being pushed back an extra month to allow us all of September, to work, and the castle wouldn't even be completely re-built in that time. Predominantly made of members of the DA, there were a few names on the list I was a little surprised by, including Draco. But, in a way, I guess it made sense. The only members of the DA who had any idea what the Slytherin common room looked like were Harry and Ron, and I don't think they were down there long enough to really get a good look. And of all the Slytherins that I knew, Draco was certainly the only one who ever showed any distaste at his house's shaky reputation.

And so it came to be that on the morning of August 28, I was to be found lounging under the oak tree in the Weasley's back yard, waiting, as usual, for everyone else to get all their belongings together. The screen door slammed shut, and I squinted in the sun to determine which redhead was walking towards me. Tall, lanky, a glimpse of the face, and suddenly, I was transported to a summer morning, three years ago.

_ "You're such a teacher's pet. We've only been on vacation for two days, you can put off school work a little longer than that." Fred walked towards me, and I immediately felt a rush of heat to my cheeks that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. _

_ "For your information, this isn't school work. I happen to enjoy reading for the sake of reading." I hurriedly stuffed the well worn book into my bag, hoping to avoid giving him any more reason to make fun of me._

_ "That better be a very good book, then. What's it about? Oh, wait, let me guess. A damsel in distress? A prince to come and save her? Sword fighting and daring rescues?" There went the smirk again. Merlin, I hated that smirk. _

_ "Not at all! I have better taste than that! Damsels in distress are over-rated and offensive to women, who are more than capable of getting themselves out of most of the situations those air-headed, idealistic princesses are in." I huffed. He raised his arms in defense and backed away slightly. _

_ "Alright, alright. Then why are you so embarrassed to show me?" He wagged his eyebrows. "Something a little more naughty hidden in that bag of yours?" He pounced like a cat, reaching for the bag. "What's your poison, sweet, innocent Hermione? Pirates? The prince in disguise? Vampires?" _

_ "No! Fred! Stop!" But it was too late. He'd trapped me against him with one arm and managed to wiggle my bag from my hands with the other. Such a shame I couldn't enjoy being so close to him for fear of the embarrassment. _

_ "Lets see here." He rummaged in the bag until his fingers found the very well worn spine of the paperback book. "__Sandry's Book__. Who's Sandry? Did you steal one of your little Muggle friend's diaries? Hermione!" _

_ "No! Fred, give it back." Though I would regret it moments later, I slipped beneath his arm to square off with him. Taking the typical Hermione stance, as Harry had come to call it, I stuck my hand out to him and huffed once. He laughed._

_ "Oh, Hermione, you think that little prefect act will work on me? How cute. Now then." He lifted one hand and placed it against my head, to keep me from grabbing the book. "The Circle of Magic? But, no, this is ridiculous. Magic in threads and controlling weather? Oh, well at least there's some boom in this." Bored, he tossed the book up. I dove, just managing to catch it before it hit the ground._

_ "Hey! Have a little respect. I've had this book for years!" _

_ "But it's detailing a fictional magic! This is what people think wizards are?"_

_ "No, they're not wizards!" I took the hand Fred offered and let him pull me to my feet. "They're mages. I was given this book a year before I knew anything about Hogwarts. The magic in it was so pure and real to me. I didn't know that our kind of magic even existed! Sure, I'd dreamt of wizards with magic wands and duels and potions, but something about Sandry's kind of magic pulled me in. I loved it so much that even after I knew about Hogwarts, I couldn't give up on it. It seems so simple compared to ours; no difficult spells to learn, no potions to remember. Just the natural magic that flows through you, channeled into what it fits into best. When I would get stressed during school, I'd stay up all night reading, and I'd feel so much more relaxed." The heat in my cheeks had returned, and I realized I was staring at the ground. Not yet daring to look him in the eyes, I peeked up through the bits of hair that had sprung free from my plait._

_ "Wow. You're awfully passionate about this." He paused, and I held my breath. Say something more, anything, make fun of me, just keep going. But it was too late. His second pause was enough time for Mrs. Weasley to call for breakfast. "Well, we'd better get going. I'd say race you, but you'd obviously lose, as I am manly and you are not. And so, Madam Damsel-Ever-So-Clearly-In-Distress, to breakfast we go!" Without giving me a second to react, he bent and swooped me into a fireman's hold and dashed toward the kitchen. _

_ By the time we'd made it, I needed a fireman to put out the fire on my cheeks._

"Hermione?" Slowly, I snapped out of the memory, only to stare right into eyes so astonishingly similar, it made me jump. Slamming my head into the back of the tree trunk, the stars finally cleared to show George's face, and not Fred's. "Oh, sorry. I've been having a similar effect on people lately." He offered his hand to help me up. I took it, rubbing my head with the other one.

"Not your fault. I should've known better than to sit under this tree." I paused. "Though, now that you mention it, you might want to avoid people who seem to be in a dream-like trance. It's a little scary to wake and..." I trailed off. How must he feel whenever he looks in the mirror? "I'm sorry, George. That was incredibly stupid of me to say."

"No, it's true. I don't look in the mirror for a good half hour after a memory hits me. So you'll have to forgive my appearance if I look a mess, I've been avoiding reflective surfaces as if they're cursed." His bitter half laugh broke the mood enough. "I try to avoid doing anything here anymore. I've been crashing on people's couches. The memories here are too strong, and back at our-" He paused, closing his eyes tightly for a second. "-my flat, well...there was supposed to be a future there. It's too hopeful right now." I didn't know how to respond, but he looked like he would collapse any second, so the only thing I could do was to hug him so tightly he couldn't fall down. He stiffened for a second before relaxing into it. "Thank you." He murmured into my ear.

The screen door slammed again, causing George and I to jump apart. This time, Ginny emerged, someone I could never mistake for Fred, not counting fourth year when he'd let his hair grow out.

"McGonagall just owled. Apparently it will be easier if we Floo over instead of Apparating into Hogsmeade, something about some security measures still up. We'll need to hurry, though, the connection will only be up a few more minutes." Leaning down, I grabbed my few bags that were leaning by the base of the tree, grabbed George's hand, and jogged after Ginny.

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**Author's Note: Sandry's Book and The Circle of Magic Series owned and copyrighted by Tamora Pierce. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is very much a transition chapter, everyone, but it needed to happen and required a lot of brainwork to figure out! Good news, this update won't cause depression.**

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Harry let out a long slow whistle. "Tell me about it." I heard Ron murmur. There had been a lot of silence once we'd been let out of Dumbledore's, rather, the headmaster's office.

"Somehow it hadn't seemed this bad in May." Ginny whispered in my ear. I couldn't manage anything but a nod. This magnificent, beautiful castle stood in ruins all around us. I couldn't even fathom how so much of it still stood. Somewhere to my left I heard a groan. Turning, I saw Oliver Wood staring out over what was once the Quidditch field. In its place now was a field of charred grass and rubble. That's about all I could see anywhere- rubble. It seemed the only parts of the castle moderately unharmed were the Great Hall and the areas somewhat immediately surrounding it- the headmaster's office, the kitchens, the entry hall, and McGonagall's classroom all seemed in far better shape than the rest of the castle.

"Well. I believe this is everyone." McGonagall's voice broke the trance everyone had fallen into. I looked around at the other individuals for the first time and realized, thankfully, that I knew everyone. "But just to check. Katie Bell?" From the loose circle gathered around McGonagall, Katie stepped forward. "Seamus Finnigan?" Seamus stepped up. "I want to make it clear, Mr. Finnigan, that we are _re-_building this castle, and that explosions should be kept to a minimum. Am I understood?" With a slight flush to his cheeks, Seamus nodded. "Hermione Granger." I stepped forward, locking eyes with McGonagall for a slight moment. The woman looked as though she'd aged centuries in a day. Slowly, the circle moved in. "Angelina Johnson. Lee Jordan. Neville Longbottom. Luna Lovegood. Ernie MacMillan. Draco Malfoy." There was a bit of a uniform look of shock when Draco moved from the shadows. Clearly most people had glazed over his name on the letter. "Harry Potter." Oh, there was irony in alphabetical order. "Alicia Spinnet. Dean Thomas. Bill Weasley. Charlie Weasley. George Weasley." The space between C and G in the alphabet had never seemed so large. "Ginny Weasley. Percy Weasley. Ron Weasley. Oliver Wood." McGonagall rolled up her scroll. "Well. That's everyone then. As it said in your letter, I have selected you to assist in the rebuilding process due to your show of loyalty to this school. It could have been shown during the battle that tore it apart, or shown throughout your time here. You'll notice that we have a member from each house, that would be because unfortunately all of the house dormitories and common rooms are destroyed." There was a sharp intake of breath that sounded as though it came from Draco. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, even the Slytherin dormitories. Apparently no house was safe. Regardless. Though we have individuals from each house, we do have an excess of Gryffindors. You will all be split into teams to work on certain parts of the castle. Though I have no doubts in your abilities, for any of you, you will be working under a teacher to ensure everyone's safety."

The teachers stepped out from McGonagall's classroom. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and Slughorn were all noticeable as heads of house. Madams Hooch, Pince, and Pomfrey were also here, as were Professors Trelawney, Vector, Sinistra, and Grubbly-Plank. Hagrid stepped out last.

"Professor Sprout and Ernie will be heading the repair of the Hufflepuff dormitories. Professor Flitwick and Luna will head the repair of Ravenclaw, Professor Flitwick and Draco will head the repair of Slytherin, and Ron and Ginny Weasley will head the repair of Gryffindor's dormitories as I will be heading other areas. That being said, I will be overseeing the repairs being made to classrooms and private offices, and each professor will be assisting me in the rebuilding of their own individual class and office. Madam Pomfrey will be in charge of the hospital wing, Madam Pince the library, and Madam Hooch the Quidditch pitch. Professors Vector and Trelawney have kindly agreed to oversee the dungeons, Professor Sinistra will be overseeing the Astronomy tower, and Professors Grubbly-Plank and Hagrid will be in charge of the Owlery. Because Professor Sprout will be working on the Hufflepuff common room, Neville, you will oversee work on the Greenhouses. Percy, I feel you'd be incredibly useful in the Prefects Bath. Katie, you will work in the Owlery, Seamus and Alicia will assist me with classrooms, Hermione and George will work in the library, Angelina and Harry in the hospital wing, Lee and Oliver on the Quidditch pitch, Dean in the dungeons, and Bill and Charlie on the astronomy tower. Katie, Bill, and Lee, part of your time will be spent with Luna and Professor Flitwick in the Ravenclaw dormitories; Seamus, George, and Charlie you'll be with Ernie and Professor Sprout in Hufflepuff; Angelina, Harry, and Alicia will be with Draco and Professor Slughorn in Slytherin; which means that Hermione, Dean, and Oliver will be with Ginny and Ron in Gryffindor." I cursed inwardly. But I guess I'd have to get used to the common room sooner of later if I was going to be living there all year. "We start work tomorrow, today, I want everyone to divide their time if needed, but work with your chair people to start deciding what needs to be done. We'll have construction assistance coming in next week. There are three meals served a day, and your housing is provided in Hogsmeade. We shall meet back here at seven. Understood?" Everyone nodded, then joined there groups and dispersed. It seemed we were going to dormitories last, so I followed George and Madam Pince to what was once the library.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: To quickly address a question that I have been getting fairly frequently: This is not a Fremione fic in which Fremione is super frequently addressed. Fred will not be coming back in the form of a ghost. I don't believe that that's what he would have wanted, and I also think that it would absolutely destroy George if that were to happen. Fremione will be featured in Hermione's flashbacks, and, if you've been paying attention, those won't happen every chapter. They will be coming more frequently now, as they are in the castle, where she interacted most frequently with Fred, however, I feel as if it is incredibly depressing to read about Hermione's flashbacks and emotions with Fred in every weekly update. If it's not depressing for you to read, it's INSANELY draining for me to write, to make everything _just right_ for these characters. If you have any other questions/concerns/disappointments please contact me, however, please be polite about it. If you don't like something that's happening, you're more than welcome to share your discontent, but more than likely, it's not going to change anything. Most of you have seemed incredibly intrigued or excited about this story, and I appreciate every positive review I've received**!

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When we rejoined for dinner in the Great Hall at dinner, I was near tears. The library was in ruins, half of the most beautiful, rarest books were burnt to no repair, I'd been hit by at least 6 different memories that brought me to the shakes, and we hadn't even gotten to the common rooms yet. Looking around our ragtag group, it appeared as if most of the others had had about the same experience.

"Everyone?" McGongall's voice, which was so direct and demanding this morning, was now soft, comforting, questioning, but it demanded attention none the less. "Because I feel as though you've all had a very rough day, I've arranged for us to have dinner at The Three Broomsticks with Madam Rosmerta. If you'll all collect your belongings and follow me." Everyone had set their various bags down in a pile and it took a while to make sure everyone got what belonged to them. It wasn't until I'd gathered my things that I realized George hadn't moved. I'd been working with him all day, and he'd been relatively okay, as he and Fred, admittedly, had not spent much time in the library. Something told me I wouldn't be able to handle him right now, though.

"Er, Charlie?" I tugged on the second eldest Weasley's shirt sleeve, feeling much more like a little girl than I should have. He turned and smiled down at me. "I think that George is in need of some help." Charlie glanced over at George, a look of panic and concern crossing his face as soon as he saw him.

"Tell McGonagall that George and I will be down in a little bit. I think the idea of Hogsmeade is a little daunting to George right now." I nodded and did as I was told.

* * *

It was a solid hour before George and Charlie joined us at The Three Broomsticks. By that point, most everyone had finished their meal and was working on heading off to our make shift dormitory in the housing district of Hogsmeade, or, in Bill and Percy's case, heading off to their respective homes. George looked better, but only slightly. I didn't even want to think of what memory had hit him in that moment I'd seen him. Compared to what my mind could do to my body when I thought of Fred, George's could only be millions of times worse.

"Glad that you gentleman could join us." Slughorn said, slurring slightly. Percy scooted over on the booth to make room for Charlie, and George plopped into the open seat next to me. Ron leaned over Percy to whisper something to Charlie, who nodded.

"Please, everyone, I know that it's been a long day for all, don't stay on our account. We'll just eat something quick and George will join you later." Charlie, who, like his brothers, had opted to stay in his own home, announced to the table.

"That is very kind of you, Mr. Weasley. I would feel more comfortable, however, if someone were to stay behind with you, since George does not yet know the directions to the house, and I am still cautious of individuals wandering around by themselves after dark." Half of the members of the table, including all of the Weasley's, were in the process of leaving. "Actually, sit for a moment everyone." Everyone hastily sat, resulting in Luna sitting on Neville's lap, and Oliver toppling his chair over. "The individuals in Hogsmeade, as well as everyone who will be coming in to help in the construction process, have been incredibly accommodating to us, and I implore of you all to be on your best behavior. Now, you are all overage, so I have no problem with using magic around the house to do your daily chores and such. However, if I hear of any dueling, cursing, poisoning, etcetera, I will immediately have you moved to sleeping on the cold, hard floor of the entrance hall. Are we understood?" Everyone nodded gravely, and the table made to stand again. "I am not yet done." The hasty seating process repeated. "There are some other ground rules. You will not go out after dark without someone else. If you do go out, you must tell someone else in the house where you are going and how long you expect to be gone. Do not roll your eyes that way, Mr. Wood." Oliver had the good sense to blush. "I understand that you are all overage, and that most of you have been living on your own for some time now and have had no one to respond to. However, if, unlike Bill, Charlie, and Percy, you opted to live in the accommodated housing, you will follow my rules. There are still some, shady, individuals out there and you are under my watch, therefore your safety is my responsibility. I have seen too many horrors this past year, and one of your's disappearances will not be added to it. Are we clear?" Everyone nodded, avoiding the imposing professor's eyes. "Thank you. Excessive drinking will not be tolerated. I understand that some of you might feel as though you need a pick me up after the days we have had, however, if I hear that Rosmerta has had to forcibly remove you from her inn, or that you all have been disrupt-fully noisy in your home, then again, those in infraction will sleep on the floor of the entrance hall." She paused, looking around at all of us. "Now, I have noticed that Hermione and Harry were the only ones who waited for George when I asked someone to stay behind. Therefore, they will stay. Everyone else may go. I will see you all bright and early at seven sharp tomorrow morning." The table stood, with the exception of myself, George, and Harry, mumbling their goodnights and good morrows. McGonagall then turned to the congregated professors. "I will see you all in the morning as well. I am going to stay behind with the students. As it turns out, I have a few words for these individuals."

Rosmerta came over with a fresh plate of sandwiches and a butterbeer for George. He dove in ravenously, barely pausing for breath before starting into another sandwich. Mcgonagall waited until he finished before speaking again.

"You three, in particular, have faced tragedies unfairly thrust upon you. I have watched you closely all day, and have been incredibly impressed with your strength and poise in facing this building which ripped so much away from you." She must have noticed the quizzical look on my face, because she paused. "Hermione, is there a problem, dear?"

"Well, no, madam, it's just..." I trailed off, thinking as to how to most politely state my confusion. "It's just, I don't feel as though I've faced half of what Harry, or George have faced, and yet, you chose to speak to me about this as well, instead of any of the other Weasleys."

"That is because I did not feel as though your loss came in such a physical sense. I believe that you, especially, will be affected by what we lost in Hogwarts- the rich artifacts of history that were destroyed and cannot be brought back. And I chose to not speak with the other Weasley children because I feel as though the three of you have felt an equal loss. While Harry and George both lost parts of themselves in people, you, my dear, have lost a part of yourself in the rarities of the castle. In addition, I felt that George has dealt with a loss far greater than the rest of the Weasley children will ever be able to comprehend." I dropped my head, feeling slightly shameful. McGonagall was correct in that the loss of the history of Hogwarts had affected me rather strongly. But for my loss of the castle to be compared to George's loss, or Harry's loss and guilt; it felt ridiculous. McGonagall continued her original speech, however, apparently not noticing my discomfort. "I would just like to extend to you the fact that my door is always open should you need to talk. And I would like you to think of the individuals working with you on this project as a support group. We are all going to be hit with awful memories, and wonderful memories, but they will likely affect you in the same way. You all need to trust each other so that you can support each other through this time." She looked around the table, and I noticed the tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and pushed away from the table. "And with that, I am going to bid my goodbyes. I trust you all to go directly to the house, no taking trips through Hogsmeade. I assure you, it will do you no good to look around right now. Good night." She didn't even wait for our mumbles, instead sweeping out of the inn.

"Shall we get going, then?" Harry managed a grim sort of smile, but it was enough. We all stood, and followed Harry out.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late publishing- school and life became very busy last week. However, as this will account for 2 updates in one, it's practically the length of 2 normal chapters, so, I hope this makes up for it! I should be back on the normal schedule next week, but please bear with me. New college student and all that. Please enjoy! -Shane**

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The house was astonishingly beautiful. It looked like something in a fairytale- like a gingerbread house brought to life. It was also surprisingly big for it's appearance, but not quite big enough for everyone to be kept happy.

"Are you really making such a big deal about this, Oliver?" Harry threw his hands up in exasperation.

"It's really not a big deal. I'll just sleep on the couch. I understand why someone wouldn't want to share a room with me." Draco spoke up from his seat at the dining room table. "Even if it is utterly ridiculous." He muttered.

"No there's no reason for you to have to sleep on the couch. Everyone agreed that this would be the fairest way to decide rooms, so this is how we'll do it!" Ron was growing red in the face. This was getting out of control.

"You know what? I'm sick of the arguing. I will room with Draco and Oliver can room with Lee. Is that ok?" George, sounding incredibly like his old self.

"No, that won't be necessary. You were the mature one and had yourself figured out. Look, Draco and I were in the same year, and as big of issues as we had, I respect that he's changed. I'll room with Draco, Oliver can room with Ernie." You had to respect Neville, he'd really grown up. "Any problems?" Oliver just scuffed his foot on the floor.

"Now that that's settled." Harry turned to me. "Have you ladies figured yourselves out?"

"It wasn't exactly difficult. Two 3-person bedrooms. How do you think we split it?" You have to love Katie.

"Excellent. Can we go sleep now? McGonagall expects us at school in four hours." And with that, everyone grabbed their bags and moped off to their now respective bedrooms.

* * *

"OY! CHILDREN! IF WE DON'T LEAVE IN 5 MINUTES, WE WILL BE LATE, AND I DON'T WANT TO GET YELLED AT TODAY!" Trust that it would be a Weasley that would be rushing the later individuals out the door.

"YEAH, AND IT TAKES TWO SECONDS TO APPARATE THERE!" Trust also that it would be a Weasley holding us up.

"WE CAN'T APPARATE! IT'S FREAKING HOGWARTS! WHEN HAVE WE EVER BEEN ABLE TO APPARATE IN!" George was sounding more and more like his old self.

Ron finally came hurrying down the stairs, almost tripping over Ernie, who was tying his shoe on the bottom step. I heard him mutter something about "wizards don't do that," before he tripped over his own un-tied shoe.

"Great. Now that we're all here, let's go." And out the door we went.

* * *

"Welcome everyone. Today, we will be working on dormitories. Does everyone remember where they were placed?" I couldn't even manage a nod. I'd dreaded this day. I felt someone squeeze my hand. Glancing up, I saw George giving me what looked to be like a "be brave" smile. "Excellent." Right, McGonagall was telling us to do things. "Then split up. We'll meet back here at noon for lunch."

Everyone split. My heart ached as I watched Harry head to the Slytherin group. What I'd give to switch places with him.

"Alright, then! Let's...go...I guess." Ron needed to work on his leadership skills. Regardless, we followed him up the steps. It was a much longer walk then before, as many of the hallways usually taken were destroyed. When we finally arrived, I was astonished to see the Fat Lady.

"Oh, my sweet Gryffindors! So wonderful to see your beautiful faces again." She pulled a handkerchief out of her bosoms before swinging open.

"Wait." Ginny held her arm out in front of the opening before we could all file in. "I want you all to understand that the common room and the dormitories have felt a lot of damage. Not just in physical damage, but we've all felt at least one personal loss from someone we used to sit with, or someone we used to live with. I want you all to understand that if you feel the need to get away for a minute, if you need help, do not hesitate to ask for it. We're Gryffindors, and bravery is not limited to acts of courage that, once looked back upon, could be mistaken for idiocy. Everyone understand?" Once again, the nod was hard to manage. Ginny glanced over at me, and again I'm placed under the support of a Weasley as she wraps her arm around me and guides me through the portrait hole.

It's a good thing that Ginny had her arm around me, because I think I might have fainted from the shock. How were we going to rebuild this? It didn't even look like the same room. Half of the room was blown off, including the steps leading to the dormitories where Ginny and I had both lived for six years. The armchairs and sofas were scattered and broken. I couldn't help but notice that Fred's favorite had taken the brunt of the damage; it was burnt almost beyond recognition and in 4 different pieces, but, astonishingly, was in the same place it always had been. The study area was practically gone, the tables and chairs all burnt to dust.

"Alright, everyone. If you can find a seat, take one, if not, join me and pull up some floor." Ron laughed wryly, and I think I was the only one who had recognized that you actually could _pull up _some floor to sit on. Ginny helped lower me to the floor (Merlin, I _hated_ feeling so weak in this bloody room!), and joined Ron in front of the fireplace. "Basically, we want this place to look as similar to previously as possible, with a few specific changes. Obviously the one girls' dormitory wing will have to be rebuilt, as will that, you know, side of the room. The other dormitories are in pretty good shape, with the exception of the furniture. Wood burns much easier than stone, and this was the side of the castle that took the brunt of the damage of Seamus' explosions. Now, obviously Ginny and Hermione knew what at least two of those dormitories looked like, so they'll be spearheading that. Dean, you'll come with me and we'll look at the boys dormitories and figure that area out. Oliver, I'll have a special project for you. Which brings us to the specific changes, which I'll hand over to Ginny."

"Basically, we want to find some way to honor the individuals we lost in the Battle that were Gryffindors. McGonagall told us that the study area, see that back wall? The scorch marks? Apparently those have some sort of magic in them that prevent them from ever coming off. They won't harm anyone, they just don't look pretty. Since the original tapestries that hung there were obviously burned to a crisp," Wow, Ginny sometimes knew nothing of delicacy, "we want to cover that area with new tapestries. There will be, by my calculation, six of them, each representing a different generation of Gryffindors, starting with Harry's parents' generation." I had to cut off her speech.

"Why start there? Certainly there were Gryffindors before that year who lost their lives in this awful bloody war."

"Very true. However, in speaking with Professor McGonagall, she told us that she didn't want us digging in history past the first Order of the Phoenix, and the majority of those members who passed were from that year. Either way, that tapestry will go through, leading into the next, and the next, and so on and so forth, until reaching we reach the present. Oliver, what we need from you is to do some research on the individuals, I have a list, and I need a photograph on them, date of birth, date of death, if you can find it, and any achievements while at Hogwarts."

"Two problems with that plan. The library is a little limited on books to do research right now. Plus, Madam Pince doesn't want anyone that isn't working in the library to go in there."

"Well, then, aren't you lucky that someone in this room is working in the library, and therefore can sweet-talk Pince into getting some books for you?" Ginny fixed Oliver with a look. She had never been his biggest fan, and I think that she was secretly enjoying the chance to boss him around a bit. Oliver started to argue back when I noticed something. Standing quietly, I made my way over to Fred's chair. Turning the one broken section over, there was a piece of parchment sticking out of the cushion. Most of it had been burned, except for his name. And that's all it took.

_"But, Hermione! I don't get it! You're so much better at this, why can't you just do it for me?"_

_ "Because then you'd learn absolutely nothing, Ronald. I've said it before, I'll look over it-" Harry and Ron were both trying not to laugh at something over my shoulder. Spinning in my seat, I saw Fred, mimicking my speech almost flawlessly, but adding in some over the top hand movements that were not necessary. "See? I've told you this so many times that your brother has had enough time to memorize my speech, and add in his own clever comedy." I tossed my hair over my shoulder and rolled my eyes, even though I knew Fred couldn't see that part. _

_ "For the record, I do think that you're doing the right thing by not helping him." I spun in my chair so quickly, I almost knocked it over. _

_ "What do you mean she's doing the right thing? I'm going to fail Astronomy if she doesn't!" Ron's cheeks were growing in color to match his hair._

_ "Really, astronomy? That's what you're struggling on? Astronomy is the easiest! You just stare up at the sky for a while until you see something unusual and then you mark that down."_

_ "That's a very un-scientific way of doing it, but remarkably, it would probably help you out, Ron." Fred stood, walking over to stand in between Ron and myself, pulling Ron's star charts closer to him. I willed my heart to keep a normal beat, doing my best to ignore the close proximity of his hand to mine._

_ "Wow." Fred let out a slow whistle. "You're really that bad at this. Saturn definitely does not have that many moons. And that little mass of stars there is not Canis Major. That's not even Sirius!"_

_ "What does Sirius have to do with anything? He's not anywhere near here!" Ron whispered through gritted teeth. He hated when Fred corrected him on anything. I couldn't help it, I glanced over at Harry, and we both burst out laughing. Ron's face became even redder._

_ "Ron," Harry was able to collect himself faster than I was. "Sirius the star. You know, brightest star in the sky?" Ron hung his head. Fred swiveled, leaning his hip on the top of Ron's chair, and faced me. _

_ "You know, normally I would never condone this sort of thing. Schoolwork may not be at the top of my list but I do always make sure to always do my own work. However," he trailed off, letting his eyes trail slowly along the space between Ron's parchment and my own. "I remember this assignment, and it's a fairly major part of his grade. Maybe if you just did it with him? Consider it...tutoring." My mouth hung open. He couldn't be suggesting what I thought he was? Professor Sinistra had been very clear when she said it was to be independent work. "Ugh, Hermione, will you come speak with me for a second?" Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him and out the portrait hole._

_ "Fred, I can't do it! It's cheating whether I help him do it or I do it for him. I can't condone cheating. If he'd asked for help sooner he wouldn't be in this predicament!" I knew my voice had taken on that slightly manic, screechy tone. I couldn't help it. Fred was standing too close, and he was still holding my hand. And he was asking me to do something that I just could. Not. Do._

_ "Of course he wouldn't ask for help! He never asks for help! He asks for others to do things for him, to avoid asking for help. He hates feeling inferior to anyone, and asking for help just screams inferiority in his mind. But seriously, he's going to fail that if someone doesn't help him with it. And while George and I have gotten really close to failing things, we've never actually done it. Mum couldn't handle it, and if she couldn't handle it, then Ron certainly can't." _

_ "Professor Sinistra said that it was to be done independently. I'm sorry, Fred." Reluctantly, I pulled my hand from his grip. "If you think he needs that much help, you'll need to do it yourself." It was taking everything in my power to stay under control. To turn around, and state "Fairy lights" to the Fat Lady without my voice shaking. To walk over to the table and collect my things. "I'm sorry, Ron. I really am. But you have to understand. I can't do it for you. And I can't defy Professor Sinistra's orders to work independently." And I turned, and I walked up the stairs._

_ It wasn't until I'd entered my mercifully empty dormitory and latched the door shut that I allowed the emotions to take hold. He'd been so close to me, he willingly touched me, and he didn't let go until I made him! He was asking for my help! He cared about his younger sibling enough to condone something he knew was wrong!_

_ And yet...I walked away. I had enough power over myself and my beliefs to take control of the situation and walk away! I spun around the dormitory a few times, I was that giddy. _

_ It took be a while to be able to clear my head enough to work on homework again. It was nearing midnight when I realized that I'd left my Arithmancy textbook in the common room. Grabbing my lantern, I slipped quietly out of the dormitory and down the stairs. It was when I was halfway down that I realized that the common room hadn't emptied yet._

_ "Right. So you can't have Canis Major without Sirius. And once you've found Canis Major, then Canis Minor can't be far." Fred was talking quietly, the slight gruffness in his whisper irresistible to my ears._

_ "Is that was this is?" I saw Fred's shadow lean closer towards Ron's. "This bunch, right here." I guess that Fred must have nodded in ascent. "That's everything, then. Thank you, Fred." Ron's voice was so quiet I almost did hear his statement of gratitude._

_ "Not a problem. You need to understand that if you ask her for help early on, when you get these big assignments, you'll understand enough of the material that you won't need her. She's strong in her beliefs, and there are some rules that she's not willing to bend. It's part of what makes her such an admirable young woman." _

_ "I know. It's just, she and Harry are so much better at all of this than I am. It's embarrassing."_

_ "They like you for you, Ron. Lack of Astronomy skills and all." There was a pause, and I could hear Fred push his chair back and Ron starting to pack up his parchment. "Well, good night. Don't stay up too much later." I quickly blew my lantern out. Fred would walk right past my staircase, and I didn't want him to see the source of light. Thankfully, once Ron left, he left his lit lantern behind. I scurried down the stairs, grabbing my textbook and hurrying back to my dormitory. I refused to let myself think of what I'd heard downstairs, that Fred thought I was admirable, until I had finished this work._

_ Never did I anticipate that Fred would have noticed I'd left my book downstairs. There, in Fred's sloppy, slanted script, was a note, which read:_

_ Hermione-_

_ No one blames you for not assisting him. I blame myself for putting you in that position. That was worse than the Dungbombs which can be found presently in your Potions cauldron. Shhhhh, now we're even._

_ -Fred_

"Hermione!" The voice which awoke me was panicked, screechy. "Hermione! She's not waking up. Oh my god, she's not waking up!"

"Guhh." Ugh, that is not what I intended to say. What was wrong with me? Why did my head hurt so badly?

"Oh thank god. Hermione? Can you see me?" I forced my eyes open, the long red hair and bright eyes bringing Ginny swimming into focus. I nodded. "How many fingers?" She help up her hand.

"Four." I gathered my wits about me enough to sit up. "What happened?" The last I remembered I was picking up the parchment with Fred's name on it. Then, it was back to the end of third year again.

"I don't know. You just sort of...collapsed. You hit your head pretty hard. You might want to sit down for a bit. Or maybe we should go see Madam Pomfrey?" I shook my head.

"Actually, it's about time for lunch as it is. We should head down to the Great Hall. If Hermione feels the need, she can check in with Madam Pomfrey down there." Ron held his hand out to me, holding me while I steadied myself. We let the others walk out ahead of us, while I gathered my land legs to walk on.

"It's best, I've found, to stay seated as much as possible while in there. Less chance of injury when you get hit with one." Certain that I was steady enough on my own, he slipped his arm out from behind me, heading down the hall in front of me. I couldn't help but notice his face had fallen slightly when he looked at me.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm sorry that the updates are coming a little slower. Unfortunately, this is one of those stories that I just have to be in the right mood to write. However, as a little bit of a disclaimer, this story is going to be a bit A/U, because of the fact that I have a little bit of a limited time span to work with, and frankly, keeping all the events straight in the actual story timeline will drive me crazy. Figure that the memory in this chapter takes place towards the end of the year in GoF, and just ignore all the aspects of GoF that have to do with the Tournament beyond the Yule Ball and the fact that other schools are there :D**

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We worked in the dormitories for a week straight. By Friday, I was so emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted, it was a wonder I was even able to walk down to the Three Broomsticks for dinner. I was glad to see that most everyone looked worse for the wear. As we all filed into our customary booth in the back, Madam Rosmerta immediately began filling what had become our typical order, and it consisted of a fair bit of alcohol.

"At least McGonagall is letting us have the weekend off." Luna said, her head resting in her hands. "I was sure that she'd have us working straight through if it hadn't been for George."

"Seriously. Cheers, George. You were amazing in there." Oliver lifted his firewhiskey, and everyone followed.

George had been amazing. We gathered in the Great Hall at 7 o'clock, as was always. There was not one person standing by the time the Gryffindor workers got there- everyone was sprawled on the floor in various states of exhaustion and pain. McGonagall was the last to meet us in the hall, and said that she would be kind and give us until 9 o'clock to be in on Saturday. Then, George stepped in, explaining how our mental health levels were at about the levels that they would be if we'd all just taken our NEWTs three times a row in one day, and that he, personally, wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to work through it if he didn't get some time off. McGonagall understood. Which made sense, as he'd put it into academic terms.

"Ah, it was nothing. You just have to know how she'll understand things." George stretched, his arm falling loosely onto the back of my chair. "She's had more time to deal with everything than we have. Plus, she's more experienced. She just wants everything done as quickly as possible so that the castle will be fairly normal for the new recruits."

Realistically, in one week, we'd gotten a lot done. The part of Gryffindor tower that had been blasted off was rebuilt, and Ginny and I were working fervently to restore the dormitories that were destroyed to their original stature. It was difficult, as it involved a lot of looking at old photographs to see where things were positioned, how many new quilts, tapestries, wash bowls were needed. But, ironically, the more time I spent up there, the less severe the memories seemed to be. Which, I guess, was good, since I'd have to live there in just a few weeks.

"So, how many injuries have people sustained from falling over in various states of shock?" Oliver had gotten a little drunk at this point, so his level of subtlety had fallen below it's normal level.

"It so doesn't matter right now. I think we deserve some fun! Come on!" Luna exclaimed. She stood, grabbing Neville's hand, and headed out to the dance floor. Everyone quickly paired up and followed her.

"Hey, you coming?" Harry looked down at me, his eyes wide with concern.

"I'm just a little tired. You go ahead. I'll join you in a bit." He wavered for a minute, then followed Ginny out.

I wasn't lying. I was tired. We worked long, physical, emotionally taxing hours, and sleep was difficult to find with all the nightmares happening in one house. I won't lie, I felt a little like a loser sitting by myself, even Draco had gone to the dance floor. But having the moment to myself was kind of nice. The memories here were a little more humorous, if I was hit by one, it didn't hurt as much.

_"Come on, Hermione! It's our last Hogsmeade weekend before exams, you need to loosen up and have some fun!" Fred shook my shoulders lightly and continued spinning around, shimmying to the beat of the music blasting through the Three Broomsticks._

_ "I am having fun. It's incredibly entertaining to watch you make a fool out of yourself." It was true. I'd laughed more at his attempts to get me onto the dance floor than I'd probably laughed in the last week._

_ "Ah, but it would be so much more entertaining if you saw it at a better angle." He grabbed my hands, pulling me onto my feet. "See? I'm so much funnier when you can see me properly!" Refusing to let go, he pulled me through the crowd of people into the center of the floor._

_ "Nice to see you finally joined us." Harry ribbed. "Did Fred threaten to blow up the common room if you didn't?" _

_ "Nah, mate, no woman can resist my charm." He winked at me, bowing elaborately and kissing my hand. I could feel my cheeks flaming up, but I couldn't help but laugh. "See? I bet it even works on you!" He dropped my hand and grabbed Harry's. The reaction that followed had me doubled over. "So, we've got her laughing. Now we need to get her dancing."_

_ "Oh, no, Fred, please! No, I'm a horrible dancer!" He reached for my hands again, but I backed away from him, stepping on someone's foot. "Oh my goodness, I'm sorry. Fred, I just, no, I'm going to go sit back down now." As I turned, he grabbed my hand, pulling me into a waltzing pose._

_ "No, Hermione. You are going to have fun. Just follow my lead." He started counting the beats. My heart was beating faster than it had in months. He was doing it again. I needed to get out. Without thinking of how it would look, I ripped my hands away from him and pushed out of the crowd into the street. _

_ "Hey! Hey! Hermione! I know that you can hear me!" I turned from where I was leaning against Honeydukes' glass window to see Harry standing across from me._

_ "Oh, Harry! You don't have a coat on, it's snowing, what are you doing?" I went to take my coat off to give to him, when I realized I wasn't wearing mine either. "Oh. There goes that argument. I'm fine, really. I just hate dancing." _

_ "Really. You hate dancing. You didn't seem to mind it that much at the Yule Ball. Is it because Krum isn't here? We could have invited him, you know. Fleur and the Beauxbatons girls are all here."_

_ "No, it's not because of Krum. I just, I can't be in there. It's all too close for comfort. Please, don't worry about me. Just go celebrate with the rest of them."_

_ "This has something to do with Fred, doesn't it?" He said it very quietly, looking down at his feet, glancing up at me quickly._

_ "What makes you say that?" It came out too fast and too high._

_ "Well, I know you had a crush on him. Or you used to. Then, you've kind of been avoiding him the past little bit. I thought you might have been trying to get rid of the crush. You were so happy with Krum recently, I figured you'd moved on, but you haven't, have you?" I shook my head no. I was starting to cry. God, why was I starting to cry? Harry came closer. "Look, if there's anything I've learned from my feelings with Cho, it's that the more you try and push them down and ignore them, the more miserable you become. Just face them. Even if it's embarrassing. Just try." I nodded. _

_ "Hey, there you guys are. Ron said he saw you both run out here. Hermione, hey, I'm sorry. I should have taken no for an answer." Fred was coming close, and my heart was starting to pound and my breath was getting shallow again. _

_ "No, it's fine, really. Um, I'm just feeling a little, uh, light headed from all the excitement. I think I overdid it a bit." My voice was high and my speech was fast again. Grr. _

_ "Actually, you know what, I feel the same way a bit, Hermione. Why don't we go in and grab our coats, and we can head back up to the castle? It's starting to get a bit late, anyway, and I have to be up early in the morning for some interview." Harry slipped around Fred back into the pub._

_ "You've got a good friend, there." I had assumed that Fred had followed Harry back in. I looked up, startled. "I know I pushed you in there. I'm sorry if I crossed a boundary. I just, I saw how happy and how much fun you had at the Ball earlier this year. You always seem so stressed and worried, I just wanted you to have fun for one night. But I get it, I pushed too hard. I'm sorry." I didn't know what to say. What was there to say? So I just stayed silent. "Anyway. Here comes Harry again. I guess I'll see you later." Fred turned and headed back in. _

_ "You ready?" Harry slipped my coat over my shoulders. I couldn't speak, so I just nodded. Harry placed an arm on my shoulder. "That's life, unfortunately. We don't really pick who we even sort of fall in love with."_

Well, bloody hell. There was that memory.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: **Bet you weren't expecting an update so soon, were you? :D Anyway, this chapter didn't go exactly as I'd intended, but sometimes that works out well enough. Hope you enjoy it!**

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Later that night, we were continuing our rare bonding session. Everyone sat in our living room, draping over couches, laying full out on the floor, perching on significant others' laps.

"So. Scale of one to ten. How bad is it working in the common room?" Luna asked me.

"A pretty strong nine. When we can keep busy it's not bad at all. But when there's even a split second of idleness, it's awful. What about for you?" It was cynical in the worst sense, but we were seriously sitting here, in various states of sobriety, talking about our levels of pain working in the castle.

"Oddly not too bad. Maybe a five? I don't really have that many positive memories there. People mostly made fun of me before I became friends with you all, and even then, when they were nice to me, it was only to become closer to one of you. If I had to be fixing the Room of Requirement...that would be painful." Her head dropped, and she stared at where her hands interlaced with Neville's in her lap.

"Does anyone know...?" Draco's voice dropped off, and the unfinished question hung in the air. He didn't need to finish it, though. Did the Fiendfyre destroy one of Hogwarts' most treasured secrets?

"I heard McGonagall talking about it the other day with Flitwick. Apparently, the room itself is gone beyond repair. But Flitwick thinks he'd be able to charm another room to work similarly, if it's built to proper specifications." Seamus piped up. "I don't think it would be able to procure the same rooms the old one did, though. All of the things that were in the room when it went up, those are definitely gone."

"All that history. People had been hiding things in there for years, and now all of it is just...gone." Little old nerdy me. Couldn't think of the memories in the Room, only of the history that we lost through it's destruction.

"Yeah, well, if you're thinking about it that way, we lost a lot of history in the destruction of any aspect of the castle. I mean, when was that castle built? And all the original stone? How many people carved their initials into those desks?" George snorted. "I definitely left a few choice messages for Snape on the Potions tables."

"Think of all the drool that has been wiped clear with the destruction of Binns' tables." Ron said, causing Ginny to giggle.

"Ew! No, that's gross. There were definitely some messages carved into the walls in the girls' dormitories. 'Marlene and Ted forever,' 'Bobby loves Alice.'"

"No, no, wait! What about all the graffiti in the bathrooms?" I started giggling uncontrollably. "Years and years of girls trash talking each other, just gone. What about that one stall in Myrtle's bathroom? 'Rose moans louder than Myrtle, if only she was doing more with boys and less with herself!'" The girls all started laughing, while the boys just stared at each other. There was a collective sigh.

"What time is it?" Draco asked after we'd been sitting in silence a few minutes.

"Almost...2:30." Lee answered. There was an immediate response of exhausted shock, and slowly people started leaving. After Alicia and Katie left, I stretched out on the couch. I was so exhausted, it would be easier to just fall asleep here than go upstairs to bed.

"You two coming?" Harry asked from the top of the stairs. It was then that I noticed George hadn't gone upstairs either.

"Maybe in a bit." George responded. Harry shrugged his shoulders, and followed everyone else.

"So."

"So."

"I've wanted to talk to you, but then we hadn't been working in the library so I wasn't able to. You wrote a lovely speech for the funeral."

"Thank you. I...I wasn't sure about it at all. When you came up, I thought that you were going to tell me to go and sit down."

"No, really, it was beautiful. But, I never got a chance to thank you for staying up there with me. It couldn't have been a comfortable situation for you. I mean, we never really spoke all that much before all this happened."

"I hadn't really thought about that. I mostly just yelled at you, huh?" I snorted. "That seems like such a waste of time now. What were a few silly little rules broken when it brought everyone so much joy?" I paused, lost in thought. "And the amount of time I spent yelling at Fred...I'd give anything to change that now."

"Unfortunately there are things in life that we can't change. But we both always knew that you were yelling for good reason. You know, I think that McGonagall was wrong the other night, by the way."

"You agree, then? You don't think that I should have stayed behind, you think it should have been one of your siblings?"

"No. I think it was right of you to stay. But you didn't just feel your loss through the castle. You lost your first love in this, and you have to work with someone every day who looks just like him."

"Oh, George." I paused, then looked up, shocked. "Wait, how did you know?!"

"Oh, please, Hermione, we're twins. He told me everything, including when his kid brother's cute little friend confesses her undying love for him." He winked. "Regardless, anyone would have been able to tell that you cared really deeply for him after that speech. You were so eloquent, but the emotions were so raw. It was really beautiful to see." I couldn't think of anything to say. "I know that this probably won't make you feel better, but he never found you annoying or anything. He did think that you were cute, in that little kid way, but unfortunately, I don't think that there's anything that you could have done to change that view. He cared about you a lot, Hermione. Said you had one of the most beautiful smiles he'd ever seen, but that no one ever got to see it enough. That's why we were always on your case. He liked seeing you happy." I didn't realize that I was crying until the tears started pooling on the couch. I sat up, and moved next to George, wrapping my arms around him. We sat there for a long time, just supporting each other.

"I know that you're having a tough time of this. And I know that none of us will ever be able to even fathom what you're going through. But if you need a hand to hold, know that I'm always here. We can get through this together. It's what he would have wanted." George squeezed me to him tighter, and didn't let go.

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I woke up in the arms of a Weasley the next morning. Never in my life would I have thought that I'd be so disappointed to see Fred's face. But that's the things about twins and mirror images. The light plays tricks, and so the face you see isn't the face that's there at all.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! Back again! In just about a weeks time, I am done with finals and on break for a full glorious month, in which time, I fully plan to do a LOT of writing. Thank you all so much for sticking with me! Hope you enjoy! -Shane**

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We went back to working in the library the next week. A lot of sorting through books. Which were destroyed beyond repair, which could be repaired, sorting them into correct sections, figuring out which sections were wiped out completely. I thought it ironic that the area that felt the most damage was the restricted section, but no one else seemed to get it.

After our bonding session the past weekend, everyone seemed to be getting on much better. There was a lot more support and camaraderie than there had been prior. Especially between Draco and everyone else. Draco and Harry got on well enough, because, though neither was willing to admit it, they were astonishingly similar. And now that Draco was more on the straight and narrow, he was, admittedly, much more pleasant to be around.

George and I made a surprisingly good team. He was efficient with the books, while I often lingered, longing to make a book so obviously beyond repair fixable. Though I resented to admit it, the amount of knowledge we were losing with some of these first editions was enough to make me cry, exactly as McGonagall had expected. My knowledge of the library came in handy, though. George was primarily in charge of sorting through, and the books that could be repaired he'd hand off to me. My thorough reading of so many of the books made it easy for me to, after reading a few sentences, re-print the title and author on a spine, for example, or fix a binding so that it fit in with the covers. In just the first two days working, George and I had managed to at least sort through between what could be saved and what couldn't, and organize the books by topic again. I'd managed to get through a section and a half by lunch of our second day.

Though working really without a kitchen, the house elves still were able to out do themselves with our meals eaten in the castle. McGonagall had set the house elves up in a house of their own, which warmed my heart, and they utilized their own kitchen and magicked the food up to the Great Hall around meal times. Today, what appeared to be a full holiday feast was laid out: ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, pies of every sort.

"Did I miss a few months? Is it Christmas already?" Ron joked as we tucked in. It was rather odd for the elves to cook up something like this. They usually stuck to sandwiches, soups, pasta, something of that sort.

"Apparently they felt it was long overdue for a feast. Well, come on then!" McGonagall ushered everyone over, beginning to pass around dishes.

"Hermione, could you pass the sweet potatoes?"

_"Why don't you finish the serving and half of regular potatoes you have first?" I teased Ron as I picked the bowl up._

_ "If there's still room on my plate, I fill it." He retorted, ladling out at least two servings of the potatoes. _

_ "Oy! Why is all the food pooling around Ron and not making it to the rest of us?" George shouted down the table. "We want to enjoy this surprise holiday feast! I demand food!"_

_ "Yeah, we have needs too, you know." Fred said. "For example, it's rather close to the holidays, so I'm really going to need a certain prefect to let up on her domineering rule for a few weeks." He winked at me._

_ "Oh, really? Let up on you when most people are studying for mid-year exams? I don't think so, Mr. Weasley."_

_ "Oooo, I'm Mr. Weasley now, how sophisticated. You hear that, George? I think we'll need to step up our game on our pranks, we're just a step away from being sirs."_

_ "You can't be referred to as 'sir' until you refine your manners enough to be gentlemen." There was a soft "oooooo" from the fan club of girls around Fred and George. I smiled self-satisfactorily. This would be an entertaining battle of wits, if nothing else._

_ "Why, the dear lady doesn't think we have manners, George! I am both shocked and insulted. Never been nothing but kind to this girl, and she has the gall to insult me like that? Why, my dear Hermione, oh how I must change your mind now." He stood, coming to a stop behind me. I turned in my chair, ready to meet whatever challenge he threw my way. "Might I be ever so honored as to ask the lady's hand for a dance?"_

_ "Nice try, but there's no music. It's a feast, not a ball." _

_ "Such doubt from you this lovely eve! Oh, Maestro!" He shouted down to Lee, who summoned the radio from his the volume up, the sounds of Christmas carols filled the Gryffindor area of the Great Hall. "Now, your hand?" Fred stuck his hand out yet again, a look of "you'll never do this" in his eyes. _

_ "Well, since you're trying so hard." I rolled my eyes. I hated dancing, I hated this many eyes on me, but I wouldn't let him think he could one up me, not this time. He bent and took my hand, kissing it, cueing another eye roll. Then, pulling me to my feet, and he began waltzing me around the table, which of course caught Dumbledore's eye._

_ "Oh, why, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, what great spirits you are in!" He shouted, clapping his hands with the music as the Great Hall's din began to quiet again. This, of course, prompted Fred to make an even bigger show of it, dragging me halfway around the room before the song stopped, and we came to rest in front of the staff table. Stepping apart, Fred bowed to me, while I executed my best curtsy. I couldn't help but giggle as the Great Hall burst into applause. As the noise again quieted, Fred made to move off. "Oh, but Mr. Weasley, surely you wouldn't leave such a lovely young lady under the mistletoe all alone?" I looked up, panic starting to well in me. Sure enough, Dumbledore was holding a piece of mistletoe over the edge of the banister, right over top my head._

_ My face was probably redder than any Weasley's hair had ever been. Sure, I'd imagined this scenario in my head dozens of times, but never like this. Never had he been forced to do it, never in front of all of Hogwarts. I refused to take my eye off of the mistletoe, because that would mean I'd have to see him walk back to his seat. _

_ "Why, of course not, sir. No gentleman would ever be so rude." And so Fred stepped back over to me, leaning down and placing a peck on my cheek, causing the Great Hall to once again erupt into applause and cat calls. When he stood again, he offered his hand. "Well, my lady, I have made enough of a spectacle of myself for one evening. May I escort you back to your seat?" Composure, Hermione, get it together._

_ "Why of course you may. I, too, have been made enough of a spectacle of for one night." _

_ "You mean you don't actually enjoy being paraded around the Great Hall for all to stare? I am ever so shocked Miss Granger." When we reached my seat, he held my hand until I was fully seated. Then, leaning down once more, he whispered in my ear. "For the record, you're a lovely dance partner."_

"HERMIONE!" Someone snapped their fingers in front of my face. I shook my head to clear it, and saw half the table staring at me. "Sweet potatoes? Sometime today?" Ron said.

"You're snappy when you're hungry." I grumbled, passing the bowl to him.

"And apparently you go half way into space and back when you're hungry."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey there again! I'm back (finally) from a long few weeks of finals and holidays. As a fair warning- after this chapter, there are just a few left. I'm trying to tie everything up neatly, but I feel as though this story has been dragged through the mud for too long, and if I make it much longer, it won't be what it deserves to be, if that makes sense. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! As always, your feedback means the world to me.**

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Two weeks went by, and the library was complete. A quarter of the books were gone- damaged beyond any hope of repair- but Madam Pince promised us (well, really, me), that she would be able to restore the knowledge that was lost in those books. Overall, I was happy with how the library looked upon completion. Very similar to my untarnished memory of it.

The dormitory, however, was a different story. As so much of it had been knocked away with little trace left behind, it was taking a lot of brain power and searching of memory to make it as accurately similar as possible.

"So, in this dormitory, there were 6 beds. That also means 6 wardrobes. Was there a bathroom off this one, Hermione?" Ginny asked me. I was sitting on the edge of what would have been Katie Bell's room.

"No. Well...no, there couldn't have been, could there?" I wracked my brain, trying to think. There were 4 floors to the girls dorms, and 3 bathrooms on each floor. "No, definitely not. We were already talking about working on the one bath that needed repair on this floor, and the other two are in good shape. We're good." I pulled my hair back into it's plait. I was dirty, tired, and my brain hurt from trying to remember all of the various details of every room in the girls dormitory. Yet, today was one of the nicer days. It was lovely to work just with Ginny- in all of this craziness, we'd not had much time to talk.

"Okay. Then this floor is all done! Do you have everything you need from us, sir?" Ginny asked the wizard who was headlining the heavy construction work for the Gryffindor tower- he'd told me his name about three times at this point, but I kept failing to remember it.

"Indeed. We'll have the first three floors done by end tomorrow. It would be helpful if you ladies could get the furniture for these rooms all ready. Then once the construction is done on it, we'd be truly complete."

"That is an excellent plan. Hermione, let's go speak to McGonagall about going into the village to shop?" I nodded and stood as Ginny shook the hand of the construction wizard. She was rather efficient in this work. Always professional, punctual, never wordy, always organized. As we headed to find McGonagall, we had a rare chance to just chat.

"Is there a furniture shop in Hogsmeade, actually? The only one I know of is up by the Burrow, and it's a secondhand shop." Ginny asked.

"I don't think there's one in the heart of the village, but I'm sure there's one around. We won't be able to find furniture that are the exact match of what we lost, I don't think. But I'm sure we can find things that are from the same period."

"Most important is that they all match. At least for each room." I nodded. Ginny suddenly laughed. "We must be quite a sight to go into the village, huh? All dusty and our hair ragged and messy. What must the neighbors think?" I giggled along with her.

"Well, ladies, that's a sound I've quite missed. Everything going smoothly in the tower, I hope?"

"Professor McGonagall! Yes, actually, we were just coming to ask if we could go out to look for beds and wardrobes for the bedrooms?" Ginny's professional demeanor immediately popped back into place.

"Of course. Do either of you have a bit of parchment?" I handed her the piece I'd been scribbling measurements, things we needed, every bit of spare information that had been thrown my way all day on. "Ah, I should have guessed that you would, Hermione. Now then, here is the address of the store that I have sent everyone else to. It's off the backroads of Hogsmeade. They should be familiar with what you are looking for. Do be back by dinner, please!" Ginny and I nodded and headed out.

"Do you want to apparate or walk?" Ginny asked once we were beyond the front gates.

"It's a nice day. Let's just walk, it doesn't look to be that far." We walked in companionable silence for a while, before it became uncomfortable, for the question I was dying to ask was burning in my throat. "Ginny? Do you mind if I ask how you're able to be so comfortable working in the tower? You never seem to be affected by the memories or anything." She sighed.

"I'm glad it seems that I'm comfortable. Have you never noticed that I do everything within my power to _always_ be busy while I'm in there? If I'm focusing on the projects at hand, I don't have time to think of anything else. It's rather helpful. I've noticed that you seem more at ease in there over the past week, when we've been working with Mr. Landish and his crew." Landish. That was the gentleman's name. Must remember.

"I'll admit it's helped. My brain has been in overdrive trying to keep all the room dimensions, bathroom fixture numbers, and other random facts straight that I haven't had room to think of past memories. But I'm kind of scared of that. I feel as though as soon as I do have a moment of peace in my head while I'm in there, the memories will come back with such a vengeance that I'll become a muddled mess of pain and sobs and end up in St. Mungos." Ginny threw her arm around my shoulder. "I think in general you are a much stronger person than I." She started to protest, but I cut her off. "No, really. I'm not good with emotions. I always say this: I'm all logic and careful thought. I don't know how to handle these memories because the way that they affect me isn't logical. They're always about the same person, there's no logical connection between any of them beyond that I got my hopes up in each situation. But you, you grew up with all those brothers, yet still retained your girlish charm. You know how to cope with your own emotions and you know how to comfort others."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Hermione. Yes, you're logical and thoughtful. But you're also a careful listener, and quick to defend those you care about. I never could have handled being with Harry and Ron all of last year, but, as you've said before, you don't think that you could have handled being at Hogwarts. The memories that hit me make sense to me only because they are memories that always show my family together. I remember lots of times in the DA, and often remember Fred and George in the Great Hall, leaving their parting message to Peeves. The reason, I think, that you keep having memories of Fred and memories where you'd gotten your hopes up, is because you'll never have a final answer from Fred. It will always be an open-ended question, and you don't know how to deal with that. I can turn my memories that would send me to a muddled mess of sobs into something that can be looked back on fondly, while your will always have that dark cloud because there was something so honest about your feelings for him, and you'll never have the answer you so very sought." I wiped the tear that had started to fall down my cheek away from my face, and gave a watery giggle.

"When did you become so smart?" I joked.

"When you and Luna left and I had to take over as the smart and clever one." She squeezed me round the shoulders, giggling. "Hey, isn't the shop?" I looked up abruptly to see that we had, indeed, reached our destination.

"Yes." I caught sight of myself in the window reflection- mussed hair and dirt stained cheeks broken only by tears. "Oh, Merlin. These poor people are going to think we're homeless." Ginny started laughing uncontrollably when she saw herself in the reflection.

"Well, let's go make the best of this, I guess!" And into the shop we went.


	13. Chapter 13

Ginny and I spent the rest of the afternoon in the furniture store, and were able to come out with everything we needed, matching quite nicely from room to room, amazingly. By the time we were done, it was nearing sunset, and we decided to Apparate to the castle instead of walking. Even with that, we made it back into the Great Hall with just enough spare time before McGonagall called the evening meeting. I felt in better spirits than I had all month, and the best news was that it was a Saturday- McGonagall never had us work Sundays. By the time we returned Monday, there would be just one floor of the girls dormitory to finish, and the common room. The Gryffindor common room would be completely ready for the beginning of the school year in a little more than two weeks time.

Wait- was it really that short of time before the year started? I calculated again quickly in my mind. That first week in the dormitories. A week in the library. This week in the dormitory. And...next week. A month had really gone by already. I wondered if McGonagall was going to allow those of us continuing at school- myself, Ginny, and Luna- to go into Diagon Alley and purchase our school things. I'd need all new robes, plus new books and etcetera. I hoped I'd have enough pocket money.

"Attention everyone!" I realized McGonagall had entered. "My you're all spacey this evening." I was pleased that I wasn't the only one. "A quick debriefing before your day off tomorrow. Hermione?"

"The library is complete. We finished last Saturday."

"Ah, that would be correct. I forgot to mark that down, my apologies. That means it was just the Astronomy tower, the Greenhouses, the Prefect's Bath, and the dormitories, am I correct?" We all nodded. "Excellent. Neville?"

"Still waiting on the new glass to be completed in Greenhouse 3, but once we've got that in, we can finish moving in the tables and plants. Everything else is complete." McGonagall jotted down a few notes before looking at Bill.

"The tower is completely reconstructed. We've two classrooms to finish, and then we'll be done as well." The torch was next passed to Percy.

"Construction was finished today. The Prefect's bath has been restored to it's former glory."

"All on schedule. Wonderful. Luna?"

"We hit a minor hiccup on the one side of the tower, Madam, but I was promised that the workers won't be returning home this evening until it's finished. All that's left are furnishings and a few minor decorations, and we shall be complete." McGonagall nodded and pointed at Draco.

"Construction is complete. Most of the furnishings have been moved in. The common room still needs a tiny bit of design to meet it's former glory, and the wall to enter still needs to be re-charmed." Draco's report, as usual, was given without anything extra. He didn't really speak much. Said what was necessary and that was it. McGonagall was onto Ernie, who tended to be the exact opposite of Draco.

"The dormitory is completely complete, with the exception of that one tapestry I'm still waiting on, but that should be here by Tuesday at the absolute latest." He had a smirk that I wanted to smack off. Acting like he was so much better because his dormitory was most complete, when his had taken the least damage. Ron was already speaking and I'd barely noticed. I really was spacey this evening.

"...dormitory is complete. We need to get furnishings for the common room, and finish those tapestries and book shelves-"

"And the girls dormitory has one floor left to rebuild, but everything else should be complete and furnished by the time we arrive Monday morning."

"Excellent. Most excellent, in fact. By these calculations, we should be done a few days early. You all are dismissed for the week, I will see you Monday." We started to collect our things, the talk of where to do for dinner started to fill the air. "Those of you who will be returning for the school year, I need you to stay behind for just a moment?" Luna, Ginny, and I all paused.

"We'll meet you outside the gates." Harry said over his shoulder. Everyone knew that when McGonagall called on certain individuals to stay, you didn't argue, and you didn't wait within ear shot.

"I wanted to give you ladies your supplies lists for this year. You'll also be given Thursday off, if we aren't complete by then, to go to Diagon Alley and shop." We all nodded. "There's also the matter of your housing this year. While you are all more than welcome to, obviously, take the school-supplied housing in your dormitories, I have also spoken with the owner of the home you are currently staying in. It is your decision, but you may stay, just the three of you, in that house through the year, with use of your respective common rooms whenever you please." I looked at Luna and Ginny, slightly pleased to see my expression of shock mirrored on their faces. It would be lovely to be able to stay in the house, but there was a sense of unity we'd miss in the dormitory. And all of our hard work- wouldn't we want to relish in it, at least a little bit? "The decision does not need to be made this second, but I will need it by end of day Monday. Have a good evening, ladies, and enjoy your day off." We exited, and met the others at the gates.

* * *

It was decided to stay in for dinner. We rarely did it, and it was a rare opportunity to share an unspoken talent with the others. Luna, Ginny, and I did not discuss our conversation with McGonagall. There would be plenty of time for that tomorrow.

Ginny, Angelina, and Luna immediately made themselves at home in the kitchen, going through our semi-bare ice-box and cupboards to see what they could turn into a meal. George and Draco set to the table, and Harry and I snuck the lettuce and tomatoes from the ice box for a salad. Lee and Alicia ran out to Rosmerta's for a few bottles of wine and butterbeer. Everyone else went to neaten themselves up, coming back in in slow groups to see what they could help with. At the end of it all, we had a table heavy with salad, tomato-beef soup, and a cheese-y beef casserole, with lots of bread. There was never a shortage of that around. As everyone tucked in, the conversation flowed easily. We'd awkwardly become a pretty close group. Different school years, different houses, all in unity. It was wonderful.

As Dean and Neville set to the dishes- choosing to hand-wash them- everyone else collapsed- full, satisfied, and happy- onto the floor or couches in the living room. I noticed Angelina curled with her head in George's lap and couldn't help but smile. I lay on the couch with my feet tucked awkwardly up with _Sandry's Book_, my original copy that I still had, all these years later. I knew every word by heart, but it was still a favorite. Knowing the words so well, it was easy to keep an eye on the book and an ear on the conversation.

As usual, one by one, everyone went off to bed. I was halfway through my book and engrossed, so I waved everyone off and insisted I'd come up when I was done- I'd only keep Ginny and Luna up with my light. I figured that this would give them both some quality cuddling time with their boyfriends, without the awkward single girl in there. And so I continued my book, curling comfortably on the squashy little couch. It really wouldn't be so bad to live here during the school year...

_I wasn't quite sure where I was. My vision was blurred around the edges as if I was...in a dream. That must have been it. I was dreaming, wasn't I? I pinched myself but didn't really feel it. Doesn't that mean your dreaming? I shook my head to clear my thoughts and place myself. It looked like Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, but less orange. There were scuffs and burn marks in the floor, clothes strewn everywhere. And there were two beds. That was strange. Wait...no, it must be Fred and George's room! And..is that? Can I speak? Of course I can, this is my dream, I can do whatever I like!_

_ "Fred?" I asked cautiously. The light spilled more into the room and fell on the charming ginger haired boy who had that bright smile I had so loved. _

_ "I was wondering when I'd get to see you again. Was getting a bit bored with my brother's nightly callings. Guessing that means he finally made a move on Angelina, then?" I hadn't thought of that._

_ "They'd looked pretty cozy after dinner." I leaned easily on the doorframe, taking in him. It was such a glorious sight._

_ "Are you going to just stand there, or come over and give me a proper greeting? It's been a solid few months since I've seen you." He pouted and I couldn't hold out. Walking as calmly across the room as I could, I just about threw myself into his waiting arms. He pulled me close, and I could smell his cinnamon-y/explosion-y scent. _

_ "I...I don't understand what's happening." I mumbled into his shoulder, trying to force the tears back into my eyes. Whatever was happening, I was not going to be a blubbering mess through it._

_ "Ah, Miss Logic. Of course you don't. Well, you see, you're dreaming. And often what we want to see most appears to us in a dream. And if what you want to see most is a person, well, this is what you get. Which means one of three things: either, George has taken up so much of my time that I haven't reached you in time, or you have not been thinking much about me, or you have been sleeping so deeply, so death-like-" I gasped, and pulled, very regretfully, out of his embrace. "Oh, come on. You're not anywhere near dying, and I'm allowed to joke about it. Anyway. You've been sleeping so deeply that you haven't dreamed."_

_ "Probably that last one. I don't remember any dreams that weren't nightmares, and those generally come when I'm most sleepy. So, you've only visited George so far?"_

_ "Oh, no. That was a bit of an over-exaggeration. No, I visit Mum and Dad quite frequently as well. Visited Katie a few nights ago, she'd had me on her mind after seeing the completed Quidditch Pitch. Apparently it's quite glorious. I visited Ron, he's been telling me how amazing the new common room is. And last week I visited Lee, he'd heard a joke he knew I'd appreciate. But predominantly it is George or Mum." I didn't really know what to say, but I needed some sort of proof he was really there, more than the hug. _

_ I reached out, tracing his jawline with my fingers. His eyes locked on mine- those piercing eyes I so loved- and his hands held mine as they started to trail down his neck. _

_ "You felt as though there wasn't any sort of completion to our relationship." I must have looked shocked, because he smirked. "There had to be a reason you visited me. I had a pretty certain guess." He paused, moving my hands within his to his lap, forcing me to adjust from facing the door to siting cross legged on the bed across from him. "I don't know how to explain it to you without deterring you from ever finding anyone else. But, I'm going to try. You were such a sweet, naïve little girl. At eleven, twelve, thirteen, you were all book smarts and bushy hair. You can understand why your feelings weren't reciprocated- you didn't even understand quite what you were feeling, and, at the time, you were just too young. Then you turned thirteen, and you grew so much after the reality of what happened after the tournament hit you. The naivety started to be replaced by confidence, and realization of the world around you. At fifteen, you were beautiful to me. But there was still that innocence where the form of love was concerned. You'd had your first tastes already; I knew that you held a small crush on Ron, and had at least had a fling with Krum. I couldn't make a move, yet. You were still too kind, too pure. Plus, if I had, Umbridge probably would have made a rule against people from other years dating. My year was cut short, but my feelings for you weren't. However, I had not way of expressing them to you. You were still in school, George and I were out in the world. I wish that I had expressed them, Hermione. I wish that my final act at school had been to sweep you in my arms and tell you how I felt. But I felt like I was cheating you of a future. Here I was, a school drop out, off to start a joke shop, that turned out to be very successful, but it could have not been. My future was so uncertain, where it seemed as if yours wasn't; you are so bright, so passionate, you could have any choice of careers where you would be happy and successful, with any choice of equally brilliant, equally kind, caring men at your side. Plus, at that point, I knew that Ron harbored some feelings for you. You were together so much, I was sure that your feelings for him would grow and eventually outweigh your feelings for me. And they did- at least, so I thought." He paused, sighing. "Unfortunately, though, Hermione, we'll never know where our relationship could have gone-" _

_ "No!" My voice was screechy and wet, there were tears streaming down my face at this point. "No, we can no. If I can visit you, we could do this-"_

_ "NO, Hermione, we can't!" The strength of his voice startled me. "My coming to you is like the Mirror of Erised, or someone being raised by the Resurrection Stone. I'm with you, but this is happening in your mind. Realistically, you can manipulate anything in this scene. But you won't, because you want what I'm saying to be real too badly. I can't visit you every night, I have to visit other people. I wanted to give you a conclusion as to whether your feelings were reciprocated, but I can't give you a conclusion as to what would have happened between us." He paused again. I glanced up, and he had that steel glint of determination in his eye. He looked in pain, like this was hurting him as badly as it was me. I had to do it._

_ Closing that small space between us felt like it was miles long, but he never pulled away. He held still, and applied an equal force against my lips. His hands left mine and buried instead into my hair. And yet, as strongly as I felt him against me, he felt like he was slowly slipping away. I opened my eyes, ending the kiss to see the image getting foggier and fuzzier. I was leaving the dream. I started to cry again, holding to him as strongly as I could, screaming for him not to go._

_ "I'm sorry, Hermione. I love you, but you have to let me go. You have to be happy, Hermione, you have to let me go. I have to go, Hermione, I love you, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."_

_ The apologies continued for what seemed like ages. Before my vision faded completely to black, though, I heard one last 'I love you.' And I could safely say that those were Fred Weasley's final words to me._

* * *

**A/N: Just one chapter left, ladies and gents. Thank you for sticking by me through this monster. As long as I've held this story out, as much as I've hated writing it at times...it's time for Acceptance to come to an end. It's had a good run, and I appreciate all the love you've given for it. -Shane**


	14. Chapter 14

Luna and Ginny were the first two awake. They tiptoed downstairs together to find me exactly where they left me last night: feet tucked up on the couch with my book. The only exception was that I now had a cup of tea in one hand and a breakfast plate balanced precariously on my knees.

"Did you even come upstairs last night?" Ginny asked, as she fixed herself a mug of coffee.

"I fell asleep down here. Help yourself to breakfast, I think that I made enough for everyone."

"You've certainly been busy. How long have you been awake?" Luna asked, yawning.

"Just an hour or so." I dogeared my page in the book and set it on the coffee table, picking up my plate and joining the girls at the small table in the kitchen.

"So I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about this housing thing." Ginny said.

"Personally, I'd love it. I'm not very close with any of the other girls in my year, and as I spent the majority of last year either in the Malfoy's basement of the room of requirement, they probably barely remember who I am." Luna started.

"Yes, but don't you want a chance to enjoy the hard work that you put into your dormitory?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yes. But honestly, the dormitories are the same as they always were. It's the common room that's really been transformed. And McGonagall said that we had free use of that whenever we pleased, right?"

"Yes, but what about late study nights? You won't want to walk back here from the library at the wee hours of the morning."

"We can apparate, you know."

"Not from the library."

"Ugh. Hermione?" Both girls turned expectantly to me.

"Honestly, I understand both of your arguments. On Luna's side, I'd either be in a dormitory room by myself or in the same room as the girls from your year, Ginny, who I don't know at all, really. It could be a potentially really lonely situation. Yet, I also see Ginny's side. I do a lot of studying in the library, and, especially for the N.E.W.T.S this year, we'll have some late nights ahead. We can apparate from the point outside the gates, but I don't know how the neighborhood would feel about us cracking in and out at odd hours of the night." There was silence for a bit.

"So, we can't come to a conclusion." Luna sounded slightly downtrodden.

"Not unless you can come up with an idea of how we get from the castle to the house at bizarre hours of the day without disrupting the whole neighborhood." Ginny sounded definitive. At Luna's saddened face, she spoke quickly. "Look, it's not that I don't feel your pain of the dormitories. I was never close with that many girls in my year either, and they now know me as the girl who's brother died in the battle. But we also have never been allowed to sleep in the common rooms, and Hermione has a point with the apparition crack. So, unless we figure out how to get around that, we're in a lose-lose situation." Again, there was silence. I wracked my brain trying to find a solution to the problem.

"Wait a second. I've got a plan..."

Monday morning, as everyone headed off to their designated work areas, I asked McGonagall for a private moment. Alone in her office, I asked permission for my special project, which, astonishingly, was granted. As the construction on the Gryffindor tower could be overseen by Ginny, I was told to fetch Mr. Landish, who was more than capable of the job.

We started the tunnel behind the tapestry directly across from the library. It was quite interesting to see how magical tunnels were made- it never made sense to me that a tunnel could start on the fourth floor of Hogwarts, but take you to a cellar in Hogsmeade. This tunnel would not lead to a cellar, but, instead, to a back room where one's muddy things were kept. The tunnel would create no damage to the house, which wouldn't violate the contract. After I gave Mr. Landish the address, I left him to do his spellwork, as I ran to collect Ginny and Luna and deliver the good news.

By end of day Tuesday, not only was Gryffindor tower's construction completed, but the newest Hogwarts secret passage was as well.

"You seriously thought of this?" Ron asked, flabbergasted.

"Always the tone of surprise." I gave a joking glare. "Yes, I thought of this. Not one of the three of us was terribly comfortable in sleeping in the dormitories, but we didn't want to be waking the entire neighborhood apparating in at odd hours of the morning, coming back from studying, and we also didn't want to be walking out in the village at odd hours, either. The only solution was to have a private way to access the house from Hogwarts."

"Well, I, personally, think it's brilliant." Harry draped an arm around me.

"And I think it's worthy of being added to a certain map that was chiefly discovered by me, before being passed down to it's current owner." George added, poking at the bit of parchment sticking out of Harry's back pocket. As things had changed around the castle, Harry had been slowly making changes to the Marauders Map to make it accurate again.

"Speaking of that map, what are you going to do with it?" I asked.

"He's going to keep it with him, of course. He's it's rightful owner, I mean, it was created by his dad, his godfather, and Lupin!" Ron said indignantly.

"Yes, but they left it here to be found by future Marauders. Harry's father easily could have kept it, waiting to pass it on to his child. I think that it should be left here, in the spirit of the original Marauders." I was pleased to see George, Ginny, and Neville nodding in agreement.

"Well, I was planning to leave it with Ginny, to be honest." Harry said. "I was going to leave it with you, Hermione, but I figured, once a prefect, always a prefect. You'd probably use it to get firsties in trouble or something." He cracked a grin and I rolled my eyes at his ribbing. "Whereas Ginny, on the other hand, is not only a relative of the previous owners of the map, but will also put it to good use, like to fetch something from the kitchens when you've forgotten to do the grocery shopping or something." In a very dramatic gesture, he pulled the map from his pocket. Holding his wand to the paper, he stated, very stoically, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Wednesday dawned bright and early. It was confirmed that today would be our last day. The furniture was all moved in, the final decorations put in place, the glass gleaming on the Greenhouses. Everyone woke unwillingly, moving slowly, packing their things back in bags. At days end, the only people left in the house would be myself, Ginny, and Luna. The big house would seem very empty.

We decided to walk to the castle instead of apparating. All we'd be doing today would be a walk through, looking at each room that had been repaired. McGonagall had told us just to be there by noon, and we left the house a final time at eleven o'clock, after everyone had apparated back to their respective homes briefly to drop off their bags. McGonagall met us at the gates.

"Before we enter, I want to chiefly say how proud I am of each and every one of you. Though you are from different years and different houses, you pulled together, truly showing the unity that Hogwarts is meant to bring, and creating a castle that is, if possible, even more beautiful than before. You have done our founders very proud." She paused, collecting herself, and pulling something out of the bag draped over her shoulders. "What I have in my hands is a plaque, to be hung in the Great Hall, next to the founders' plaque. It is to commemorate the nineteen incredible individuals who stepped up to help repair this castle when it was needed. So. Let's pose for a picture shall we?" And immediately she set to putting us in order for the picture, giving the plaque to Harry, who stood in the center. "On three, then? One, two, three!" The flash popped, and our touching moment was over. McGonagall was all business, and off to the castle we went.

Everything really did look more majestic than I remembered it. Maybe it was because my strongest memories were of rubble and fire, but the castle gleamed in it's self importance. The Quidditch Pitch was completely renovated, the stands standing proudly in colors of each house. The greenhouses beamed, the light reflecting off of them in rainbows. Yet, nothing got quite the reaction of the Gryffindor common room.

I had not even seen the finished project. While Ginny and I had worked in the girls' rooms, Ron, Oliver, and Dean had been working feverishly, and secretly, on the common room. If I had so much as peeked at anything but the floor whenever I walked through, I was greeted with someone screaming "YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET!"

My jaw, along with everyone else's, dropped as I entered. The room still had it's wonderful cushy vibe- with a great fireplace along the wall of windows, and squashy couches and armchairs all around the room. The bookcases had all been refurbished, and the new study nook was more removed from the main room than it had been before, meaning people could have a slightly more private area to do homework with friends. There was a bookcase filled solely with new chess boards, Gobstones sets, and packs of Exploading Snap cards. The room shone of gold and red and dark wood and soft rugs. Yet nothing, nothing, took anyone's breath away as much as the wall of tapestries.

Each individual that they'd wanted on it was there. Starting with Harry's parents at the top of the first, and with Fred and Lavender and Collin at the bottom of the last. Birth date, death date, children, spouses, achievements, everything listed. But the most magnificent was the pictures. It was as though they shone with light all their own. Harry stepped up first, gazing at the tapestry which held his parents, Sirius, and Lupin. As everyone oo-ed and ahh-ed, I followed Harry's lead. Moving to the last tapestry, I knelt down to read.

"Fred Weasley. Born 1 April, 1978. Died 2 May, 1998. An honorable death in the Battle of Hogwarts. Taken from his family and friends too soon. Achievements include: Beater of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team 1989-1996, proudly joined the ranks of the best pranksters the castle has ever seen. Went on to become co-owner of successful joke shop. Is missed daily by those who knew his cheerful smile and contagious laugh."

I couldn't stop the tears from coming to my eyes. Suddenly there was a hand gripping my shoulder. I hadn't noticed George coming to see his brother's rememberance. Tears feel silently down his cheeks, but he offered a genuine smile.

"He'd have liked to know that his only achievements listed were Quidditch and pranking." He joked. It was true. I couldn't find my voice, so I just pulled George into a hug instead. When I let go, I saw Angelina coming over. I left George to be with his brother and his (maybe?) girlfriend, and went to stand in the study nook by myself for a moment.

I knew that I wouldn't be visited by Fred in a dream again. No matter how desperately I might want to see him, it was only painful on for me to bring him to me and be left with all of the what-ifs. But now I had another way to visit him. The tapestry was as good as any dream for me. His portrait was genuinely the brightest of them all, his smile the whitest. You could see that wonderful glint in his eye. And even thought the portraits didn't move or talk, like pictures, it didn't need to. I know what he would have said right now. "Why are you crying, silly girl? You've got your whole life ahead of you for crying. Don't waste those tears on a picture of me. They didn't even get my good side."

* * *

**And...fin. Thank you for sticking by this story. I know that it was drawn out, I know that I had a million excuses as to why it was so slowly updated. I have appreciated each and every review, favorite, update, any acknowledgement of this story what so ever. And with that, I take my final bow on Acceptance. -Shane**


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